News

"The question of autonomy versus authority has different connotations and sometimes very specific meanings in philosophy, law, the political realm, medicine, and religion. Broadly speaking, authority is defined as the power to enforce laws and/or to determine a baseline of information or standards. In a musicological context as relates to the sources of historical music, authoritative status is given to early printed sources of music, or given to very specific literal descriptions of a particular aspect of performance practice. Autonomy is defined as ...

the ability of an individual to make personal (and hopefully informed) choices. To be autonomous, one chooses according to considerations, conditions and characteristics that are not imposed by external forces. In the realm of historical music, autonomy can lead the informed musician toward ..."